[...]
“well,” he laughs briefly, the sound equal amounts awkward and shy and reaches a hand up to touch his hair, “something like that?” he’s told yongguk about his ridiculous heartbreaks, there was no need to act secretive about them now, but something in him was hesitant, scared to scare the other off. “i just felt like after the amount of change i’ve been through on the inside, it’s time to go through some physical change, as well. and since i can’t just suddenly grow muscles or get a tattoo…” he trails off, eyes finally dropping to the ground and focusing on the tips of his shoes, “but i guess you could also say it’s like the heroines getting over a guy, as well. i’ve been pretty beat up about romance things, i think it’s time to let that go and put it behind me.”
it’s maybe not the best moment to look back up again, but the smile that had been present on hyungwon’s lips quickly vanishes, brows pulling together into a confused frown because- “hyung, why are we heading for the subway station?” immediately, his body goes into resistance mode, putting weight against yongguk’s arm and trying to dig his heels into the ground to stop them from getting any closer to the bacteria contaminated hell.
Yongguk listens to Hyungwon quietly, but suddenly laughs at the mention of getting a tattoo. “I agree about being impossible to suddenly grow some muscles, but nothing is stopping you from getting a tattoo on a whim. Although I would suggest going with you so that I can stop you from getting something you would come to regret later.” He falls quiet again and doesn’t really know what to say when the other admits that the change might also be because he needed to get over past romances. It’s not something that Yongguk can relate to. He’s never been in a meaningful enough relationship to feel…bad (?) once it was over? “I’m not sure what that feels like,” he begins honestly, “but I know you’re a tough kid so you will be able to get over whatever has been troubling you.”
The change in Hyungwon is immediate as soon as he sees the subway station in the near distance. Yongguk doesn’t let himself be deterred by the resistance and instead tightens his hold around Hyungwon and keeps walking, pushing the other forward. “Because that’s where we are going. Today, we’re not going anywhere in your fancy car and contributing to more pollution of our beautiful planet. We’re going to take the subway like the common folk, aka me, and you’ll get to experience something new. Isn’t that great?” he says, trying to paint the subway as something better than it is in reality.
They soon reach the station and at this point Yongguk pretty much needs to drag Hyungwon forward, but that doesn’t stop him from going ahead with this plan. Once inside, he reaches inside his pocket, glad that he had already bought tickets for Hyungwon earlier that day. It would make things quicker and easier. He grabs the tickets in his pockets and hands them over to Hyungwon. As for him, he already had a subway card. “Ready?” he asks, bringing Hyungwon closer to the gates.
“ah, so you mean that you consider rapping more as a way toaddress various social issues?” chaeyoung asks, hoping that she understandswhat he means. “it is interesting though that you take that approach when itcomes to your raps. there are some rappers who are more inclined to talk aboutlove.” she says out loud her observations. their discussion does remindchaeyoung about what kind of a rapper she wants to be. she did not want to beany ordinary rapper and talk about love only. she wanted to expand to othertopics that may be relevant to the audience. “i guess that’s why i really likeyou as a rapper because i’ve always wanted to be a rapper that is…unique, isuppose.” chaeyoung bites her bottom lip for a brief moment as she gathers herthoughts. she then tells him, “i’ve always wanted to become an idol butsometimes i don’t like how idols usually talk badly about others or about love.i want to be different from them, that’s why i wanted to know from youpersonally what makes you such a talented rapper. perhaps it could help meimprove my skills as well.”
He nods in approval when Chaeyoung asks him about the way he considers rap. “I get that some people will want to rap about making a lot of money and being so great that they get all the women they want, but that’s not the kind of message I want to be spreading. I don’t want people to think I’m some misogynistic and sexist guy, because that’s not who I am. I want to reach people by rapping about issues that they may be able to relate to, that will make them think. I also don’t like putting other people down.” He quiets down and listens to her voice her thoughts and he can admit that it is nice to hear that his rap is interesting enough for other people to seek his advice, even though he is not a professional.
“Like I told you earlier, I don’t have the miraculous formula to become a talented rapper, but if I had any advice to give, I’d tell you to think about the kind of message you want to spread through your lyrics, which, from what you have just said seems to be something that you have already thought about. That’s good, keep thinking about it and writing. Keep practicing too. Listen to different rappers and try to find your own vibe, your own flow. If you have any rappers that you really love, or even singers, or other people that influence you, try to think about why you like them so much.” He leans back in his chair and lets out a sudden chuckle, shaking his head in amusement. “And if you get noticed and someone offers you a contract or something, then you will probably get more training and that’s going to help too.”
An idea suddenly pops in his mind and he straighten up, leaning slightly over and resting his arms over the plastic table. “You said that you’ve seen the videos, but did you ever attend a battle?” he asks her. “Because there’s one happening tonight, and I think you should come.”
this was probably the most nerve wrecking one; not handing out the flier to a stranger on the street, not forcing himself out of his awkward shell to approach a vaguely familiar face, but handing out a piece of paper to yongguk. the good news he had delivered were met with a smile and a pet on the head, long fingers brushing through his soft hair and making hyungwon’s heart flutter in an uncomfortably familiar way. it’s a feeling he’s been trying to ignore and push away, but the nervousness lingers, as does the desire to appear the best possible version of himself there is. “hyung,” he’s gotten uncharacteristically shy as he rummages through his bag, fishing for one of the neatly folded papers before holding them out to the other male, “please accept this. i- ah, i have to hand these out… now that i’m a trainee. i hope it’s okay to ask you to take one.”
Yongguk hums at the soft call of 'hyung', a way to show that he is listening and he is, closing the book he had been reading and setting it aside so he can focus all his attention on Hyungwon who is currently standing before him. He thinks the other looks adorable with the flush of color currently dusting his cheeks and the shyness that is sticking to him, so obvious in the way he is rummaging and handing the piece of paper. He extends an arm to grab the flyer that is handed over to him and he glances down at it. It's a TRC flyer and he rapidly scans the information written on it although it doesn't really register in his mind. He will pay more attention to it later, but for now, he reaches out and wraps his fingers loosely around Hyungwon's wrist and pulls him closer until the younger male has to sit down on the couch next to him. "You don't have to look so scared. If giving me a flyer is helping you, I'll be happy to take one. Besides, I am sure it is full of useful information that may come in handy one day if I get signed. If you need help with anything, you can come to me. I'll help you out."
yongguk would kill him. possibly strangle him with his own two hands and dumb his body into the han river and it’s for that reason that hyungwon made sure not to show his face to his hyung when his christmas present got delivered.
did he think yongguk would like it? possible.
did he think yongguk would like him after unboxing the gigantic box? not all that possible.
maybe it was too intrusive, maybe hyungwon was being too much and overzealous, but it was christmas and he wanted to make the people he held dear happy. it wasn’t a piano, at least - that one would have ensured him death on sight -, but it was the next best thing that was professional enough to ensure a quality performance.
on top of the box was a letter with his name - as if yongguk wouldn’t have been able to guess who it was from - and a small message.
dear yongguk hyung,
please don’t kill me & enjoy your present.
yours,
chw.
Yongguk had just sat down to have breakfast when there was a knock on his door. He frowned as he wasn’t expecting anyone and grumbled as he abandoned his breakfast and made his way to the door. He opened it and looked at the delivery guys in surprise. He hadn’t ordered anything. “Bang Yongguk?” one of them said and he nodded to let them know that he was indeed the man they were looking for. “Where can we put this?” the guy continues and it takes Yongguk a minute to answer.
“Wait, I didn’t order anything!” he tells them and they shrug, pointing at the card taped to the top of the box. He reaches for it and quickly opens it, scanning the words. Well, it seemed like Hyungwon, that brat, had decided to give him a gift, but this gift was huge! He moves aside to let the delivery men inside his apartment and motions for them to leave the box in the cramped space of his living room. Once the men are gone, he goes back to the kitchen to grab a pair of scissors before returning to the box and opening it. He’s curious as to what Hyungwon sent him. When he sees the keyboard and everything though, he falls on his ass and it takes him a few minutes to say “I am going to kill him.”
the first room makes him queasy already. hyungwon had never been a fan of gore; his stomach wasn’t quite ready to handle a lot of things and blood and guts were two of them. he looks away from the mannequins immediately and although there is a mantra inside his head about nothing there being real and it all just being fake blood and fake guts, he can’t help feeling slightly nauseous. he’d prefer a ghost in a white bed sheet over this any day. why again did he think it was a good idea to go to the haunted house? now he had to try his hardest to keep it together because if there was something that was more unattractive than him screeching like a little girl out of fear, it was him getting sick.
he keeps his lips pressed together and his body pressed against yongguk’s arm, his free hand curling around yongguk’s wrist as if to steady himself. his breathing is shallow and at the point where they’re about to reach the end of the room, he exhales a prolonged breath of relief only to have it become stuck in his throat when a man with a giant knife jumps out in front of them. he doesn’t know who started screaming first, him or yongguk, but while the older turns as if to run away, hyungwon is met with a sudden burst of bravery and starts swinging his uncooked spaghetti legs at the disguised man – without stopping the shrieking, of course.
(now, the man wore a mask and hyungwon wasn’t sure, but he thinks he saw the maniac doctor laughing as he ran off.)
with his hand still tightly clutching onto yongguk and his heart hammering wildly against his chest, he turns back to yongguk, wide eyes even wider in the dim light. “hyung, did you see how i chased him off? i think i sacred him. that means not even maniac doctors are immune against being kicked.”
Yongguk had been busy taking deep breaths, hoping to calm his racing heart. He is sure that all the colors must have leave his face by now. Of course, he doesn’t miss the way Hyungwon chase off the maniacal doctor, but he can’t bring himself to laugh over how ridiculous the other looked, swinging his legs at the man. “I am pretty sure he must have run away because he’s just a normal actor and he has more people to scare so he wants to make it to the end of this day in one piece.” He doesn’t know if they will come out of this in one piece, but he sure hopes so. As much as he doesn’t want to keep moving, he knows they need to. “C’mon, let’s keep moving,” he says, hoping that his voice doesn’t betray how shaken he is.
He hates the hallways of the haunted house almost as much as he hates the main rooms. Perhaps because the hallways are narrower, and they feel darker too somehow. He stays pressed to Hyungwon’s side and jumps when he feels something grabbing his ankle. He doesn’t shriek this time, thankfully, but he does start kicking at whatever has been grabbing his ankle while letting out a string of curse words that would probably horrify most people. He’d have been a worthy opponent to Captain Haddock in Tintin. They keep going, brushing past things dangling from the ceilings and what not until they reach the second room.
He doesn’t even try to appear brave at this point. He is already done with this haunted house and he knows they still have a few more rooms to see and what not. He is certain that his hand is shaking when it pushes away the pieces of fabric covering the door, but there’s nothing he can do about that. They haven’t even taken two steps into the room that already someone jumps out from somewhere and scares them. Yongguk screams again and blindly reaches out to shove the person away from him.
he doesn’t know when exactly the promise of spending time with yongguk turned him jittery and excited and giggly. it was horrible and most of the time hyungwon managed to keep it all suppressed, but the laughter seemed to always pull on the corners of his mouth and settle in his chest, about to resurface in his throat like bubbly and sweet champagne.
the smallest things seemed to prompt his glee and amusement. a simple comment from yongguk, a grumbled and endearingly grumpy one and hyungwon is grinning and cackling at the other like the mere idea of someone who could look as hardcore as yongguk was intimidated by ice skating. it was cute. “they won’t send you to your death, yongguk hyung. like i’d allow you to die on me here.” he smiles at him over his shoulder before taking his shoes from the staff.
since last year - that’s how long it had been since he forced his feet into the stiff shoes and hyungwon had missed it. sports were never his forte, but ice skating was something he had always enjoyed.
he’s got both feet inside his ice skating shoes when yongguk speaks up again, the slightest hint of nervousness in his voice that irrationally made hyungwon want to reach out and hold his hand. “i’ll hold your hands the whole time, i promise,” it’s endearing, in every way, how what you see isn’t even the tip of the iceberg of what you get with yongguk and while affection clearly makes his skin feel warm, chest expand and fill, hyungwon brushes it off as feelings of friendship, “and if you fall i’ll fall with you, okay?” he finishes tying up his shoes quickly before standing up from the bench and turning towards yongguk, his hand outstretched, palm up, and waiting for the other to take it. “you don’t need to worry, if those five year old kids manage to handle themselves on skates, you can too. and you’ll have me to help and not that stiff penguin. it will be fun, you’ll see.”
“How chivalrous of you,” he mumbles when Hyungwon assures him that if he falls, he is going to fall with him. He finishes lacing up the skate and wiggles his toes inside to make sure that he can move them and feel them. He takes a deep breath and slowly pushes himself up. His knees instantly shake as he tries to find his balance. He automatically reaches for Hyungwon’s hand and clutches to it. “Kids are good at learning things when they are small. They are like sponges, they absorb all the information and they are also like…I don’t know what would be the right word to use, but they are like super drunk people so when they fall, they don’t really get hurt, as opposed to us adults who are as stiff as wooden boards.”
Once they get to the ice rink, he waits for Hyungwon to step onto the ice first and he watches him intently as if there was some secret to be learned about standing on ice without automatically ending on your ass. He feels ridiculous to be so wary of ice at his age, but it’s not really his fault that he never got the opportunity to learn at a younger age. He takes another deep breath and slowly puts one foot on the ice. He is still holding Hyungwon’s hand and he hopes that people are not waiting after him to get on the ice, because he doesn’t know how long this is going to take. He moves his foot back and forth, letting the blade slide over the ice and sort of testing how it feels.
His cheeks turn redder as he reaches for Hyungwon’s other hand. This is the moment of truth. This is where he needs to get his other foot on the ice and this will either be a success or a complete disaster. He bites his bottom lip and furrows his brows in concentration as he slowly balances his weight on his right foot and then gets the left one on the ice. His grip tightens over Hyungwon’s hands when his skates end up sliding a little and he gets scared of falling even though he hasn’t even tried to move yet. He feels like his knees are still shaking and he wonders how people can enjoy waltzing around with weapons on their feet.
“Now that I am on the ice…what comes next?” He knows they are supposed to skate, but how does one go about this?
⦑ ;; text ;; ⦒ ⇰ cutest teddy bear hyung ♡ 🐻
⇢ but you’re not just anyone, so i can throw it at you
⇢ it can’t be nothing when you go ‘hyungwon, seriously…’
⇢ makes me feel like you’re about to scold me….
⇢ it totally would be interesting! besides, you can imbed classical elements in a lot of different genres!
⇢ was that your first time auditioning? for me it was the third already… i’m thinking it also depends on luck who the companies pick and who they don’t pick?
[txt] => the adorable brat
-> I think it is better if you figure things out on your own.
-> That’s true. We’d have to try to see if we can make it work.
-> Well I suppose? I don’t know if the talent show counted as an audition?
-> ooh third time? I guess the third time really is the charm.
-> luck? hmm, maybe. But I suppose me saying I didn’t want to be an idol probably didn’t help my case.
⦑ ;; text ;; ⦒ ⇰ cutest teddy bear hyung ♡ 🐻
⇢ it’s my #1 weapon now that i know how much you hate it~
⇢ you’re very kind i hope you know that
⇢ hyung what? what’s with that pause? why …?
⇢ totally!! we’d be amazing together!!! don’t you know that opposites attract?
⇢ you didn’t tell me anything! how did it go?
[txt] => the adorable brat
-> it’s not that I hate it...but I told you last time you shouldn’t throw that to just anyone.
-> well...I try...hm
-> nothing. don’t worry. it’s nothing.
-> Hyungwon, seriously....
-> your wording [deleted]
-> I suppose it could be interesting...
-> I thought I did okay? But I didn’t get a call-back so I guess I have things I need to keep improving on. -shrugs-
Christmas had long stopped being a holiday that Yongguk was looking forward to. As he grew up, the magic surrounding the event began to fade away until it disappeared completely and after that, there was just no going back. He still made sure to spend the day with his mother. Why? Maybe a part of him felt guilty to leave her alone on a day that was meant to be spent with your family. Despite certain things his mother had done to him over the years, he still loved her. She was his only family and even though he had moved out of her house to make it better for himself, but also for his mother (who clearly was better without him around), he couldn’t hate her.
That’s why he ends up ringing the doorbell of his mother’s apartment to announce his arrival. He shifts the plastic bag full of ingredients for the meal he is planning to cook later and uses his key to unlock the door and step inside. Immediately, he can tell that his mother has been cleaning. There’s a citrusy scent in the air and the apartment looks cleaner than the last time he visited. “Yongguk? Is that you?” he hears his mother call from the bathroom as he bends down to remove his boots and then places them neatly next to his mother’s ones. “Yes, I’m home,” he replies as he starts walking toward the kitchen to set the bag on the small counter.
He’s taking stuff out of the bag when his mother sticks her head out of the bathroom and looks at him. Her whole face brightens up instantly and she steps out of the small room. Yongguk thinks that his mother looks beautiful. She has clearly tried to dress up for the occasion judging by the dress she is wearing which is hugging her body and revealing her shoulders. She left her long hair untied so it reaches the middle of her back, but she curled it into gorgeous waves. She gingerly makes his way over to Yongguk and reaches out to cup his face between her palms.
“Gosh, look at you. Did you get taller?” she asks, smiling warmly at him and he rolls his eyes because she always asks him this, despite his growing spurt being long over. “Hi mom,” he says and moves to press a kiss on each of her cheeks. She notices the bag of groceries then and glances back up at him. “What’s this?” she asks him and reaches over to rummage around the bag. He lets her as he explains that he bought a couple of things to make dinner later. A pout appears on her red lips. “I should have told you that this wouldn’t be necessary, but I completely forgot,” she says as she starts putting back the things he had taken out into the bag. “I already cooked us a feast!”
He arches his eyebrows as he leans his hip against the counter and crosses his arms over his chest, watching his mother pack things away as she hums softly under his breath. Now this is unexpected. The situation so far makes him wonder if he is dreaming or if he really is in his mother’s apartment. The fact that everything is so clean, that she dressed up and now to learn that she even cooked? He can’t remember the last time she went to such lengths for a Christmas spent together. “Is someone else joining us?” he suddenly asks, because this is the only reason he came up with to explain everything.
His mother stops moving, but eventually she looks up at him as she turns to face him. “No one’s coming over baby. It’s just us tonight, like usual,” she tells him with a smile, but he thinks it looks sad and he feels bad because his mother seems to be in one of her good moods and he definitely doesn’t want to ruin that. “Sorry,” he says softly. “I’m just not used to see you like this, so I thought you might be trying to introduce me to my new father.” He hopes that this isn’t going to make her think about his true father and upset her so he is bracing himself, but his mother ends up swatting his chest with the back of her hand and laughing softly.
“Don’t say such nonsense,” she replies, but he doesn’t miss the way her cheeks turn pink. He doesn’t comment on it though and instead gives his mother’s forehead a kiss. “Do you want me to help you with the food?” She shakes her head and gently pushes him out of the kitchen and toward the living room. “Just make yourself comfortable. You can turn on the television and see if there is some Christmas special on. I like when we get to see all those young women and men sing and dance.”
It turned out that his mother had not lied when she had said she had cooked. Once she had told him that the meal was ready, he had gotten up from the couch and moved to set the table. He had then helped his mother bring all the food to the table. He had eyed her warily when she had come back with a bottle of red wine, but he didn’t try to stop her from bringing it to the table. He reasoned that it was Christmas and that it was okay to celebrate. If anything, he could watch how much she drank and make sure to stop her before it got too bad. She poured the alcohol into the glasses and then raised her glass for a toast.
The food was delicious and Yongguk couldn’t remember the last time he had been able to eat something that his mother had cooked for him. It tasted so good that he felt a lump form in his throat from all the emotions it suddenly raised in him and he swallowed a mouthful of soup to ease the lump down and hopefully stop himself from crying. It would have been ridiculous. As they ate, his mother asked him about his work and told him about hers. She was a waitress now, had been for a few years now and she had told him she liked it more than the club she used to work at. That it made her feel more normal and not like a complete failure. He never saw his mother as a failure, but this was something that she needed to believe herself. It was good that her work was helping with that.
After the meal, he told his mother that it was her turn to go relax in the living room while he took care of the dishes. She caressed his cheek, saying she couldn’t believe how lucky she was to have such a good son, and then she grabbed the wine bottle and brought it with her, along with her glass, to the living room. Yongguk washed the dishes while keeping an eye on his mother. She was taking a sip from her glass every once in a while, but didn’t seem to be heavily drinking which was reassuring.
He eventually puts the last plate away to dry and rinses the suds off his hands before shaking them over the sink twice and reaching for a rag nearby to dry them. He then makes his way toward the living room and moves to sit down next to his mother. She instantly curls up against his side, lifting her legs and folding them to the side. They stay like this in silence for a while, simply watching tv. After what must have been an hour, his mother straightens up and sets her empty glass of wine on the coffee table. She turns toward Yongguk and reaches over to take his hands between hers.
“My mother called,” she suddenly announces and Yongguk doesn’t know how to react to the news because in all his 24 years of existence, he has never met his grandparents. His mother always said that they refused to keep in touch so why would they suddenly call? “What did she want?” he asks, moving his hands so they are over his mother’s ones instead, holding them as he can feel her fingers trembling. She laughs airily as if the matter of the phone call had been ridiculous, and perhaps it had been. “She said that both her and my father would like to meet you.” Yongguk frowns. “What? Why? I mean, why now?” His mother shrugs as she shakes her head. “I don’t know…” She bites her lips next and Yongguk knows that she’s not telling him everything.
“Well, what did you tell them? I hope you told them they could go fuck themselves,” he says, not even sorry about what he has just said. His mother seems to feel otherwise as she exclaims, “Yongguk! Don’t talk like that. They’re your grandparents!” He snorts and looks at his mother in a way that makes it seem like he is silently asking her if she’s serious. “Why not? I don’t know them. Mom, you really can’t be serious? They left you alone. They didn’t try to help you when you needed them the most. They never tried to meet me before and suddenly, almost 25 years later, they suddenly decide they have the right to just reappear into your life and do whatever they want?”
His mother grimaces and pulls her hands out of his, folding them on her lap instead. She starts wringing them together. “I know…” she whispers, not daring to look at him, “but they are my parents. Baby, I know you may not understand but…I miss them.” He stares at her in disbelief. “Even with all the shit you had to endure because of them? Do they even know what you had to do? How you had to live to be able to raise me?” His mother looks down at her knees while she shakes her head. Of course. She wouldn’t tell them about all the hardships she had to endure. He had thought his mother would have grown resentful over the years, that she would have laughed in their face and hung up on them, but instead, it was the vulnerable side of his mother that had won. The side that probably represented the teenager she used to be, the sixteen years old who needed her parents by her side as she tried to raise a newborn.
That’s when the doorbell rings, startling them both. His mother quickly scrambles up to her feet though and rapidly tugs on her dress to smooth the fabric down before brushing some strands of her hair behind her ears. “I thought you said I didn’t have a new father to meet,” he tells her as he watches her walk to the entrance of the apartment. “And I wasn’t lying,” she says before unlocking the door and pulling the door open. She moves aside as she motions for people to enter and Yongguk automatically stands up when he sees an older man and woman stepping into the apartment.
They are dressed very elegantly. The man helps the woman remove her coat and hands it over to Yongguk’s mother who takes it and hangs it in the closet. They take off their boots as his mother prepares slippers for them. Yongguk wonders when she got those. His mother takes the man’s coat and puts it aside as well before motioning for them to come in further. Both the man and the woman walk with their heads held high and Yongguk doesn’t know much about fashion, even less about old people fashion, but he has been spending enough time with Hyungwon to know that what they are wearing is expensive. The woman looks exactly like his mother and if he hadn’t known who they were as soon as the door had opened, he would have definitely known now.
His mother clears her throat and goes to stand next to him. “Mother, father, this is my son Yongguk…your grandson. Yongguk, this is my mother and my father…your grandparents.” He tries to guess what she must be feeling by the tone of her voice. He wants to look at her, but he can’t tear his gaze away from his grandparents. A part of him understand why she needed the wine after all because right now he feels like he could use a bottle of vodka to wake up from this nightmare. The woman, his grandmother, tries to take a step toward him, but something stops her. It must be the cold glare he’s giving them. His mother gently runs her hand down his arm and tugs on his wrist so he sits back down on the couch. She invites her parents to sit down as well, which they do.
They keep glancing around, and Yongguk crosses his arms because he knows what they are doing. They are making notes of their daughter home and how she has been handling her life during all these years. He knows his mother has tried to clean, but it doesn’t hide the faded colour of the carpet or its frayed edges. It doesn’t hide the years of the furniture. It has never bothered him before, but now that his grandparents are there, sticking out like sore thumbs with how they are dressed, it does bother him. His mother disappears briefly to get her parents something to drink and an awkward silence settles in the living room. If they think that he is going to be the first to say something, they’re wrong.
Thankfully his mother returns rapidly, handing glasses to her parents before going to take a seat next to Yongguk. The silence stretches on, no one seems to be willing to be the first to speak or maybe none of them know how to break the silence. Yongguk’s grandfather is staring at him and grumbles something inaudible before taking a sip from his glass. His grandmother throws him what looks like an apologetic smile before she also takes a sip from her glass. As for his own mother, it appears that she has poured herself another glass of wine. Why is he the only one not drinking anything?
Yongguk doesn’t know if his mother thought this would make for a great Christmas present, but he’s not happy about this. He probably should at least pretend to be if he knew it would made his mother happy, but he doesn’t even know how his mother truly feels about this. Everything is happening too fast. When he came here to spend Christmas with his mother, he didn’t expect to end up meeting his grandparents. When he sees that no one is saying anything, he sighs loudly and suddenly stands up before walking out of the living room and toward the entrance. He feels eyes on him and he hears his mother stand up, can hear her heels on the floor and soon she is by his side as he is grabbing his coat. “What are you doing?” she asks him, with an hint of panic in her voice.
He puts on his coat and then moves to put on his boots. “I need to get some fresh air,” he mumbles, hoping that only his mother will hear him. She reaches out, closing her fingers over the back of his coat. “Baby…you can’t leave me alone with them,” she whispers and Yongguk sighs again because his mother sounds terrified. He pulls her into his arms and gives her a kiss on the cheek. “They’re your parents mom. You three probably have a lot to talk about. I just need some fresh air. I promise I’ll come back. She nods, biting her lip. She looks so unsure, but she lets him go as he turns toward the door and leaves.
⦑ ;; text ;; ⦒ ⇰ cutest teddy bear hyung ♡ 🐻
⇢ that’s a very subtle agreement ㅇㅅㅇ
⇢ you really sounded like a dad saying that stuff about me being myself ㅋㅋ
⇢ i said i wouldn’t tease you like that anymore but i couldn’t hold back this time around
⇢ but dad or not thank you for saying that ♡
⇢ you kind of implied me being myself is good enough that makes me happy
⇢ who would have thought i like being praised so much…
⇢ now i feel embarrassed
⇢ anyway hyung~ i still really want us to work together so next time you have to make sure to be invited for a casting and get in okay?
[txt] => the adorable brat
-> let’s not start with the dad thing again pls
-> I didn’t imply it. That’s exactly what I wanted you to take from it.
-> ....
-> you still think that it would be a good idea for us to be collaborating despite our different preferred music genre and overall background?
-> well then I suppose I will have to work even harder.
-> did I tell you I did the interview?
⦑ ;; text ;; ⦒ ⇰ cutest teddy bear hyung ♡ 🐻
⇢ i’m glad by now we both agree that you’re a fashion terrorist ♡
⇢ but yes i did!!
⇢ and i’m only slightly terrified!
⇢ okay, that’s a lie, i’m very terrified
⇢ realistically speaking, how high are my chances?
[txt] => the adorable brat
-> I never said I was agreeing with you.
-> I just know that you have....a personal opinion about the clothes I choose to wear.
-> well I mean, you have as much of a chance as the next guy who’s also been called back for an audition.
-> clearly if they called you, they saw something in you that interested them or that they thought their company would benefit from.
-> just do your best and be yourself
-> that’s the most important
⦑ ;; text ;; ⦒ ⇰ cutest teddy bear hyung ♡ 🐻
⇢ hyung~
⇢ yonggukkie hyung~
⇢ i’m on the brick of an existential crisis because i don’t know what i’m going to wear tO MY TRC AUDITION!!!!
⇢ I GOT A CALLBACK!!
[txt] => the adorable brat
-> and you’re asking me...out of all the people you know for fashion advice?
-> when you are a model
-> and there are fashion magazines all over your apartment?
-> wait....
-> you got a callback? Holy shit that’s great!
-> you better knock them dead, a’right?
for the sixth time that evening hyungwon got up from his couch, walked towards the mirror in the hallway to check his reflection and sat back down. his hair didn’t change in the slightest from the first five times he had done the exact same thing, but nervousness left him pacing. yongguk hadn’t seen his new hair colour yet, nor had hyungwon breathed a word about having dyed his hair and since it was the first time that he was sporting anything but black hair, he was understandably antsy. bin had said it suited him, but hyungwon knew that tastes differ and who knew if yongguk would like it just as much. well, he was about to find out.
the doorbell rings finally and he gets up, heads for the same mirror he had been standing in front of before to check his reflection one more time. his hair is still in a perfect and casual disarray, light ways making him look slightly playful. considering his previous looks, he had gone for something much more casual today. black skinny jeans and a comfortable black sweater with way too long sleeves; it was all about the hair today.
he pushes his phone, keys and wallet on the inside pockets of his coat before slipping his arms into the wide jacket and opening the door.
yongguk is staring and hyungwon only hopes it’s not all that obvious that he’s holding his breath. it doesn’t take more than the mere mention of his hair to make hyungwon’s fingers twitch, make him want to reach up and brush his fingers over the soft strands in the hopes to either fix or conceal them, when yongguk finally finishes his sentence and he ends up exhaling his relief. “thank you, i really felt like a change was needed.”
the stupid smile on his face kind of refuses to leave afterwards and hyungwon keeps on gnawing on his bottom lip to make it less obvious. his eyes are focused on the floor, on the walls, on anything but yongguk - at least until he can get his mouth back under control. he ends up being forced to make eye contact when the other asks for his car keys and hyungwon doesn’t even pause a second to wonder what he could want to do with them before reaching into his pocket and fishing for them. “you want to drive today, hyung? is where we’re going a surprise?” he drops the keys in yongguk’s awaiting hand and tries not to focus too much on the image of someone other than him sitting behind the wheels of his car. he didn’t have a problem with it, he trusted yongguk not to crash it, but the idea was oddly out of the blue.
the elevator door opens and like usual, hyungwon turns to walk in the direction of the parking lot, completely unsuspecting of the actual reason of why yongguk asked for his keys. “i hope you’re planning to drive us somewhere we can get food. i’m kind of peckish.”
As soon as the keys are dropped in his hands, Yongguk closes his fingers tightly over them and buries his hand in his pocket. He follows Hyungwon out of the elevator, but before the other can get too far away in direction of the parking lot, Yongguk grabs him gently by the arm with his free hand and stops him. “Yeah, we can go get some food, but let’s walk a little first.” He makes sure to keep his face neutral as to not make Hyungwon suspicious. “I mean, we always take the car and it is such a beautiful day out today that it would be a shame not to make the most of it and enjoy it at least a little,” he continues, hoping that it doesn’t ring like some shitty excuse. He does like spending time outside and walking is great. He just hope that Hyungwon feels the same about it.
He moves his hand, letting go of Hyungwon’s arm but wrapping it around him instead, fingers splaying over the small of Hyungwon’s back. He’s not keeping a firm hold on him since he doesn’t want to end up hurting the other, but he’s still somewhat keeping Hyungwon close, so the other doesn’t try to escape. He motions toward the sidewalk with his chin and starts walking, applying just enough pressure on the other’s back to make him start walking as well. He takes a deep breath, making it look like he is enjoying the crisp autumn hair and he is. The sun is shining bright in the sky and it’s not too cold or too hot. It really is a perfect day.
Once they reach the street, Yongguk turns to the right and he wonders if Hyungwon knows that there is a subway station nearby in that direction. Well, if he doesn’t, he’s going to find out about it soon enough. “So, what brought on this change?” he eventually asks to make small talk (and distract Hyungwon). “Was it for a reason like the heroines in manhwas when the main girl suddenly changes her hairstyle to get over the main guy or win him over?” He’s teasing, but he likes teasing the other.
usually shiah didn’t take the bus, especially with the weather like this. she didn’t mind the rain though, she always found the rain was refreshing, especially after a long day of training. still, usually her driver was there to pick her up from royal or seocho, but he was out sick. he had offered to come get her anyways with the weather being like this but she had insisted he stay in bed and get better. she could get herself home, the buses weren’t too hard to figure out.
so there she was, standing under the glass hut of a bus stop and waiting for the bus she was pretty sure would take her home. every so often a gust of mist would dust over her with a whip of wind from a passing vehicle, it was one of her favourite things about the rain and wet weather, it was like it woke her up over and over. like she could see things clearer this way. soon she found she wasn’t alone, being joined by a stranger - a handsome stranger. he smiled at her and she returned it, giving a little nod before looking back out to the road, closing her eyes as she anticipated another gust of mist.
what she got instead, though, was a giant splash of water that drenched her. her jaw dropped as she let out a gasp of shock, feeling the icy cold water cut right through her clothing and disrupt the build of warmth that was keeping her comfortable. she opened her eyes to loo down at herself in disbelief. well this was just great. she looked to the man next to her who was asking her if she was okay, and she couldn’t help but shake her head in more disbelief, the shocked expression gaining a smile as she started to laugh. “you know what? yeah, i’m okay. i’m more than okay.” she must have seemed crazy but she took a step out from under the glass hut, approaching a large puddle. “no use in trying to stay dry now.” and she proceeded to jump into the puddle, laughing softly as she splashed about.
Most of the women he had met in his life were pretty badass and were not afraid to speak up, defend themselves or do shit on their own, but most of them really disliked getting wet whenever it was ruining. They were not princesses by any means, but they still disliked having their hair or makeup ruined, or having to deal with wet socks, wet shirts, etc. This is probably why Yongguk expected the young woman next to him to, well, not cry but rather be slightly upset over getting drenched? He waited for the curse words to come, but they never did.
The young woman instead starts to laugh and Yongguk’s eyes widen. He watches as she steps from under the stop’s roof and before he can ask her what she’s doing, she begins to jump in puddles and his mouth drops open. “What are you doing?” he calls out to her from his spot. A part of him, maybe the childish part that has been buried away a long time ago, wants to join her. He wants to splash in the puddles too and have a bit of a good time, but he can’t bring himself to join her. Not yet.
“You’re going to end up catching a cold!” he continues, hoping that she can still hear him over the splashing sounds and the traffic. A shiver runs up his spine and he wraps his arms around himself, wincing a bit when he realizes that he sounded just like an adult who doesn’t know how to have fun. So, what if this woman he didn’t know wanted to jump in puddles? So, what if she ended up sick? None of this was his business.
He watches her a little longer before throwing his hands up and joining her. She didn’t invite him to join her, but he hopes she won’t mind his presence. “You’re insane,” he tells her, but he’s grinning, hoping that she won’t take it as an insult.
“Yeah, I’m John Seo,” he confirms as he accepts the wallet. “I don’t look very much like a model in development, I guess.” He chuckles at the other man’s tone. He listens to the other man’s explanation. Aaaaah, he and his unusual bouts of scatterbrainedness. He wasn’t paying enough attention, he supposes. Anyway, he’s more than relieved that he doesn’t have to rush out of the building and back to the coffee shop. He’ll be able to make it to his first lesson on time after all.
Johnny nods, fingers stroking the wallet. “I figured. It was the only place I pulled it out at…” He almost considers checking his wallet’s contents when the stranger leaves, since he thinks it might be rude to do it in front of the guy who just returned his wallet. But with the invitation, Johnny shrugs and opens his wallet. He counts the money in it first. It’s exactly the amount he left, with the denominations and the way they were folded in. Next, he pulls out his Yonsei school ID, his USA and Korean driver’s licenses, the company ID and key card that allows him access to the building’s different rooms. He then returns them all to their respective places, save for the company ID and keycard. “Yep. Everything’s in order. Thanks, man.”
“I’m serious. I would have been in huge trouble without this,” he explains waving the keycard. “Although they know my face, the machines won’t let me in, so yeah. You saved me from getting murdered.”
“Oh I think you got the model look down to be honest,” Yongguk says as he gives the other another good look. “It’s just that for some reasons, I didn’t expect the wallet to belong to someone as young.” It probably didn’t make much sense, but when he had found the wallet and looked at the cards inside, he hadn’t paid much attention to the ID cards inside therefore he had not seen a birth date. He had just assumed that someone having a business card from an agency was probably someone important and well…
He watches silently as the guy, John, looks at the content of his wallet. Yongguk doesn’t feel offended by it since he had been the one to prompt the other to do just that. He wouldn’t have said anything if he had truly stolen something from the guy. He wasn’t crazy. Still, he feels a bit of relief wash over him when the other confirms that everything is indeed where it needed to be.
“Murdered?” he exclaims, eyebrows shooting up. “Aren’t you being a little over dramatic now?” he can’t help but ask, only to realize that it may have came across quite rudely which was not his attention. “I mean, I don’t think anyone would have killed you over accidently losing a wallet,” he tries to amend. He clears his throat and rubs his hand over the back of his neck. “Alright well, I don’t want to make you late or anything so um, I’m glad I could be of help.” With that, he offers John a light smile and moves to take his leave.
the last time yongguk had dragged him somewhere, it had been hyungwon who was uncomfortable and out of place during the whole adventure and what he was doing in that moment wasn’t exactly revenge considering it was all about charity and helping those who had less, but hyungwon might have just known about yongguk’s inability to ice skate before deciding that was exactly what they had to do.
he was pulling a medium sized suitcase full of washed and neatly folded clothes behind himself and was still babbling to yongguk about it was totally for a good cause and would be a great present to them and whoever was getting the help for christmas; and while that was all true and neat half of hyungwon was focused on the idea of yongguk attempting to balance on ice skating shoes and hyungwon having to hold his hands. he tries to push away thoughts of how it wouldn’t be unlike their halloween date meet up and about how he was actually looking for excuses to hold his hands.
they were nice hands though so sue him.
he steps closer to one of the organisers and fills out a form before moving the suitcase closer and giving a brief explanation of what was inside; sweaters and coats for men and women. his mother and father had been nice enough to donate some things as well. when they’re giving permission to go on, hyungwon turns back to yongguk and smiles encouragingly, “are you ready to get the shoes, hyung?”
When Hyungwon had suggested they go ice skating during the Holiday festival, Yongguk had reluctantly admitted that he didn’t know how to ice skate. As a child, he had never been taken to an ice skating rink before and his mother had never bought him ice skates either. That admission had not deterred Hyungwon though who had proceeded to promise he was going to teach him how and that it would be fun. Yongguk had eventually caved in because Hyungwon’s eyes had been so bright, so hopeful, that he had not been able to bring himself to refuse.
To be allowed on the rink though, they had to give something to charity. It was a good idea and Yongguk wanted to do his part even if he didn’t have much to give away. While Hyungwon settled for a suitcase f clothes, Yongguk went with the 1kg of food, carrying the non-perishables in plastic bags. After giving away their donations and getting the okay to proceed, Yongguk follows Hyungwon closely and mutters under his breath that: “they’re not shoes…they’re boots on blades that will send me to my death”. He still gives the size of shoes he is normally wearing, not knowing whether he needs to give a slightly bigger size or not because he has no idea how sizing for ice skates works.
He grabs the pair that is eventually handed over to him and waits for Hyungwon to get his before walking over to the nearest bench and sitting down. He starts unlacing his shoes and put his right foot into one of the skates. He glances at Hyungwon at his side. “You promise that you’re going to hold me, right? You’re not going to let me fall on my ass and make a fool of myself?”
So I know my activity has been shit lately and I owe replies to a couple of people (I havent forgotten you!), but I need to do a new charisma starter plot call. Mostly because some people just never replied to the starters I posted so I am missing a couple to have my charisma points.
Tl;dr: please like this if you want a random starter from Yongguk and please only like the post if you are planning on replying.
Thank you ❤
PS: if you want, you can leave a word as a prompt and/or specify if you want the relation to already be established.
